Steamer.



J. H. WOLTERSTORFF.

STEAMER. APPLICATION FILED 'JAN- I0, 1916 Patented May 22,1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. WOL'IERSTORFF, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

STEAMER.

Application filed January 10, 1916.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. IVOLTER- s 'onrF, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Steamers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in steamers which are commonly employed in hotels and restaurants for cooking veg tables and other articles of food with steam, and it is equally well adapted for use .on sterilizers employed in cleansing dishes and other table utensils.

In devices of this kind, it has heretofore been difficult, if not impossible, after the parts have become worn by continued use, to prevent the escape of steam from the joint between the housing and the door or closure for said housing.

It is the object of my present invention to provide in a device of this class, a housing with a door designed to be readily opened and closed and also adapted, when closed, to be firmly seated against said housing to prevent the escape of steam therefrom and also to prevent jamming of the door.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view in detail of the same; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a steamtight housing. This housing is formed with an opening in one side thereof and is provided with a door 11 for said opening which is slidably mounted upon a yoke or hanger 12 hinged upon said housing.

The hanger 12 preferably comprises a horizontal re-inforced bar 13 having a pair of vertical re-inforced branches 14 at one end and a similar pair of branches 15 near the other end thereof. The branches 14: are supplied with perforated lugs 16 which are pivoted upon companion perforated lugs 17 on the housing 10 by means of a bolt 18 passing through all of said lugs. Each of said branches 14 and 15 is perforated at 19 to slidably receive a pin 20 projecting from one of the corners of the door 11. These pins furnish a mounting for the door upon the hanger 12 and permit a slight independent movement of the former with respect to the latter. The extension 13 on the free Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1917.

Serial No. 71,194.

end of the hanger 12 swings between eyes 21 on the housing 10 and is secured from swinging outward by a pin 22 removably inserted in said eyes (Figs. 1 and 2). WVhen the hanger 12 is thus secured by the pin 22, the inner margins of the door rest closely adjacent to the door seat 23 upon the rim bears against a block 26 which is retained in a central depression 27 in said door 11 by straps 28. The swiveled connection between said screw and block is formed by passing the reduced end 29 of the screw 21 through a bore 30 in the block and revolubly securing said reduced end to the block by means of a washer 31 and cotter pin 32, as shown in Fig. 2. By turning the wheel 25 to slide the door against the seat 23, pressure is applied at the center of the door and distributed equally to the margins thereof, which are firmly and uniformly pressed at all points against the seat 23. A packing strip 33 may be embedded in the seat 23 as is commonly done in similar structures to form a perfect joint.

Suitable steam pipes (not shown) may be provided to supply the housing 10 with steam.

WVhile I prefer the particular yoke described, it will be understood that other forms may be used without departing from the spirit of my invention. For example, two horizontal bars may be employed on exceptionally large steamers in lieu of the single bar 13 shown and each of such bars may be supplied with one or more screws to force the door against its seat.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the class described, a housing having an opening in one side thereof, a hanger hinged on said housing, means for detachably securing the free end of the hanger, a door carried upon the hanger and adapted to close said opening, a screw to press the door against the housing and release it therefrom, said screw being threaded in the hanger and having a central swiv eled connection at its inner end with said door, and devices adapted to slidably support the door upon the hanger and hold said door against rotation about the axis of the screw.

2. In a. device of the class described, a housing having an opening in one side thereof, a hanger hinged on said housing, means for detachably securing the free end of the hanger. a door for said opening carried upon the hanger and formed with a central depression therein, a block in said depres sion, straps to secure said block in said depression, a screw to press the door against the housing and release it therefrom, said screw being threaded in the hanger and swiveled at one end in said block, and devices adapted to slidahly support the door upon the hanger and hold said door against rotation about the axis of the screw.

3. In a device of the class described, a

' moving the door with res )ect to the han er.

housing having an opening in one side thereof with lugs at one end and eyes at the other end 01 the rim of said opening, a hanger consisting of a horizontal bar having a pair of opposed vertical branches at one end thereof and a similar pair of branches near its other end, lugs on one pair of branches pivotally secured to the lugs on said housing, a pin in said eyes adapted to secure the free end of said hanger, :1 door having pins therein slidahly mounted in the branches of said hanger and adapted to close the opening in said housing and means on said bar for whereby said door may be firmly pressed against the housing or \villuh'aun there from.

lVhoreol l. have hereunto suliiscrihod in) name to this specification.

JOHN H. VOLTER\QTORFF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patentx, Washington, D. 0. 

